Hartlepool United sign new sponsorship agreement

Hartlepool United have signed a sponsorship deal which will means that their stadium will go back to being called Victoria Park.

The sponsorship deal has been agreed with Utility Alliance. They have signed a three-year deal that will see their logo displayed on Hartlepool home and away kits.

The fee for the deal has been confirmed as £240,000 and as part of the deal the company were keen to ensure that the club's home stadium will be known as Victoria Park once again.

Last year Victoria Park had been officially called "The Northern Gas and Power Stadium" due to a sponsorship agreement.

Hartlepoool chairman Pam Duxbury “We are delighted to be able to announce this deal with Utility Alliance, it is great to be linking up with such a successful local company. Utility Alliance has proved to be an invaluable source of support to me since I took over the running of the Club, and as well as providing our kit sponsorship I am also looking forward to working alongside them as I try to build and maintain relationships with other businesses in Hartlepool."

Duxbury added “I’d like to place on record my thanks to our previous sponsors Northern Gas & Power for their understanding of the situation. This is a crucial period for Hartlepool United, and I am keen to work alongside a local sponsor to try and guide he club back to the Football League. This agreement with Utility Alliance has been a real shot in the arm for the Club, and I’m hoping that any fans who have been wary about buying season tickets will be encouraged by the fact that a local business is prepared to back us with a significant sum of money.”

Ian Willis, Marketing Manager for Utility Alliance, added: “There was a lot of uncertainty over the Club at the end of last season, not just because of relegation from the Football League but also concerns over where the money was going and who actually owned the Club. During our negotiations we did have the option to take over the naming rights to the stadium, but we were keen from day one that the Club’s home should revert back to Victoria Park."